The top row of your Mac’s keyboard is underused and it’s time to fix that.

macOS hasn’t assigned any actions to the function keys by themselves. That is except for F11 (which shows the desktop) and F12 (which shows the Dashboard). Keys F1 to F10 lie unused unless needed in tandem with a modifier key like Option or Command. That’s an untapped resource right there!

You can trigger quite a few useful actions on your Mac in a shot if you map them to function keys. Today we’ll show you how to do that. We’ll also list some common actions that you can speed up with these single-key shortcuts.

How to Assign a Function Key to a Preset Action

Assigning a function key to a particular action is like creating any other keyboard shortcut on your Mac. You first visit System Preferences > Keyboard > Shortcuts. Next, you click on the existing keyboard shortcut for an action and press a function key of your choice to assign it as the new shortcut for that action. If there’s no shortcut in place, click on the “none” placeholder text beside the action to assign one.

Keep in mind that a shortcut is active only when you have selected the checkbox for the corresponding action.

You might run into a problem if the key or key combination you have chosen is already assigned to another action. In this case, you can either assign a different key combination for the other action or disable its shortcut by deselecting the checkbox next to it. You won’t have trouble finding which action corresponds to the shortcut you have inadvertently tried to reassign — both actions involved appear highlighted.

Remember, by default, function keys activate the special functions printed on them: brightness, volume, Mission Control, and so on. To use them for the single-key shortcuts we’re suggesting, you’ll need to tell macOS to use the F1, F2, etc. keys as standard function keys. To do so, visit System Preferences > Keyboard > Keyboard and select the checkbox for Use F1, F2, etc. keys as standard function keys.

Without the above tweak, you’ll have to use the modifier key Fn along with the function keys to trigger the shortcuts.

Note: The actions listed under System Preferences > Keyboard > Shortcuts > Services don’t seem to be compatible with function key shortcuts unless the shortcuts also include one or more modifier keys. If you want to use a function key by itself, you’ll have to create custom shortcuts for these services. The next section tells you how to do that.

How to Assign a Function Key to a Custom Action

You won’t find every potential action from every app on your Mac listed under System Preferences > Keyboard > Shortcuts. That doesn’t mean you can’t create shortcuts for those actions. You need the approach we’ll outline below.

Let’s say you want to pin tabs in Safari with a function key (we’ll use F6). To program this shortcut, first head to System Preferences > Keyboard >Shortcuts > App Shortcuts.

Next, click on the plus “+” icon beneath the right-hand panel. In the dialog box that appears, select Safari from the Application: drop-down menu.

In the Menu Title: drop-down menu, type in the Safari menu command for pinning a tab, exactly as it appears in the menu. Here, that would be Pin Tab, as you can see in the screenshot below. Don’t worry about the name of the menu under which the command lives. It’s irrelevant here.

For certain function pairs like Pin Tab / Unpin Tab and Enter Full Screen / Exit Full Screen, macOS allows you to assign a common shortcut.

What You Can Do Faster With Function Key Shortcuts

Now it’s time to look at which common functions you can perform faster on your Mac with the press of a function key.

Of course, you can’t assign function keys to all the actions we list below — there are only 12 of those special keys after all. Go with actions that will have the most impact on your workflow. Also, feel free to look beyond our list of actions to come up with any others that you consider favorites.

Grab a Screenshot

You can take a picture of your current screen or a selected portion of it using the default shortcuts (Shift + Command + 3, Shift + Command + 4). But that’s like making your fingers perform painful callisthenics on the keyboard. End the struggle by replacing the shortcuts with a couple of function keys instead.

Open Menubar Apps

Third-party apps often allow you to access their menubar utilities via global hotkeys. Program such menubar-based apps to pop up at the press of specific function keys. Once you do, you can get rid of their dock icon (if possible) without losing quick access to the corresponding apps. Here are some types of apps that could benefit from this approach:

Note-taking app

Timer app

Clipboard manager

Email app

Calendar app

Password manager

Enter and Exit Do Not Disturb Mode

A single ping signalling a notification is enough to jar you out of “the zone” when you’re working. Be sure to activate the Do Not Disturb (DND) mode whenever you sit down to work. The fastest way to do it is with a function key shortcut!

Empty Trash

You’ll find the Empty Trash command in the Finder menu when you have Finder active. Its default shortcut Command + Shift + Delete is pretty memorable, but if you want to replace it with a function key, create a custom shortcut for it.

Switch Views in Finder

macOS already has shortcuts for the four Finder views: Icons (Command + 1), List (Command + 2), Columns (Command + 3), and Cover Flow (Command + 4). If you always use one or two of these views and have a hard time remembering their shortcuts, create new ones that you’re more likely to remember.

In Safari…

If Safari is your primary browser, you’d benefit much if you create custom shortcuts and assign function keys to:

Clean up your browser history without losing logins and other website data.
Menu command: Clear History and Keep Website Data (Found in the Safari and History menus, but invisible until you hold down the Option key)

Akshata trained in manual testing, animation, and UX design before focusing on technology and writing. This brought together two of her favorite activities — making sense of systems and simplifying jargon. At MakeUseOf, Akshata writes about making the best of your MacBook.